Ole Miss Men’s Basketball Hosts Final Game in the Tad Pad Friday Night

OXFORD, Miss. – (Release) Since 1966 the Ole Miss men’s basketball team has played in just over 700 games in the C.M. “Tad” Smith Coliseum. On Friday, November 14, the program will say goodbye to their longtime home as they host Cal State Bakersfield in a “Throwback Game in the Tad Pad” for the final time. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and will be streamed on SEC Network+.

TEAM FACTS
Ole Miss Rebels (Record: 3-0, 0-0 SEC)
Head Coach: Chris Beard • 3rd Season at Ole Miss (47-24) • 284-122 career record (14th Season)

Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners (Record: 2-1, 0-0 BWC)
Head Coach: Mike Scott • 1st Season at CSU Bakersfield (2-1) • 2-1 career record (1st Season)

ON THE AIR
Television/Online: SEC Network+
Play-by-Play: Jake Hromada
Analyst: Kermit Davis

OLE MISS RADIO
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: Gary Darby
Analyst: Murphy Holloway

SERIES HISTORY VS. CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD
Just the second matchup all-time between these two schools, Ole Miss came out on top back in meeting number one back in 2019, 83-67.

LAST MEETING: December 7, 2019 (W, 83-67, Oxford, Miss.)
• A close game at the half, Ole Miss took their three-point lead and ran with it in the second period, eventually winning by 16.
• Blake Hinson (Ole Miss): 23 points, two rebounds, one assist, one block.
• Taze Moore (CSUB): 17 points, five rebounds, one assist, two steals.

SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS
A season ago, CSU Bakersfield finished their campaign with a record of 14-19, picking up eight of those wins in conference action. Losing their top three scorers and four starters, they are paced this season by returning senior guard CJ Hardy, who averaged 9.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game, with a team-best 42 steals.

So far this season, the Roadrunners have gone 2-1 ot begin the 2025-26 schedule, picking up wins over Whittier and Western Illinois after falling to California in their opener. Hardy has been their leading scorer at 14.3 points per game, including 17 and 18-point performances in their two victories. They have been difficult to score against in the paint, ranking second in their conference and No. 40 in the nation with an average of 5.7 blocks per game.

Acting head coach Mike Scott was given his position in September after spending the previous eight seasons on staff as an assistant.

ONE LAST GOODBYE TO THE TAD PAD
Nearly 60 years ago, the C.M. “Tad” Smith Coliseum opened its doors for the first Ole Miss basketball game, when they hosted Kentucky on February 21, 1966. Decades of memories and historic moments later, what was thought to be the final game in the arena was played on December 22, 2015 as the Rebels defeated Troy in a thrilling overtime victory. With the hiring of current head coach Chris Beard came the throwback games, as Ole Miss has since played a pair of games in the former arena still standing on campus. However, the University announced in the fall of 2025 that the coliseum would be demolished in 2026, opening the door for one final game in the Tad Pad early in the 2025-26 season.

The building has been filled with memorable games. From the wild four-overtime win over Vanderbilt in February of 1982, to the Chris Jackson and Gerald Glass duel in an overtime 113-112 win over LSU in 1989, the Tad Pad has seen its fair share of legendary games, players, and moments during its long history.

Home names like Johnny Neumann, Gerald Glass, Ansu Sesay, and Marshall Henderson had the Ole Miss crowd on his feet. While visiting legends such as Pete Maravich, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Joakim Noah had Rebel fans in awe of the talent that came through the Tad Pad.

Ole Miss has played a total of 702 games in the C.M. “Tad” Smith Coliseum across 51 seasons and a pair of throwback games. Game number 703 will be the last and final time the walls will hear the cheers of the Ole Miss faithful cheering on their basketball team.

“WHOOP” THERE IT IS
Ole Miss defended their home court to move to 3-0 on the new season in their toughest matchup to date, taking down Memphis 83-77 in front of a raucous crowd. While the two would go back-and-forth to begin the matchup, the Tigers held their final lead midway through the first half as Ole Miss stepped in front and held the visitors at bay.

Newcomer Ilias Kamardine continued to dazzle and impress, as he paced the Rebels with 26 points by going 11-14 from the field, knocking down a trio of three pointers while adding four rebounds, four assists and a block and steal on defense. Senior guard Kezza Giffa made his first start of the season and took advantage of his opportunity with 15 points while dishing out five assists with zero turnovers.
The win gave Ole Miss a win in six of the last nine meetings with Memphis, while the Rebels have won five straight games when playing in Oxford.

KEPT IT ROLLING
In their second game of the season, the Rebels handled Louisiana Monroe 86-65. AJ Storr led Ole Miss with 19 points, connecting on four shots from beyond the arc for the second game in a row. Ilias Kamardine loaded the box score, dropping 15 points while dishing out seven assists with a block and three steals on defense.

CONVINCING OPENER
One of the most anticipated seasons in program history got off to a great start, as Ole Miss took down Southeastern Louisiana in their opener 88-58 on Monday, November 3. The Rebels out-rebounded the Lions 44 to 26, posting their best rebound margin of +18 under head coach Chris Beard. The team was paced offensively by Malik Dia, who scored 20 points with four rebounds, an assist, and two steals.

In his Ole Miss debut, AJ Storr dropped 18 points while going 4-5 from beyond the arc, adding six rebounds and four assists. His 18 were the most for a Rebel debut in a season opener since 2016, when Deandre Burnett scored 23 vs. UT Martin.

International guard Ilias Kamardine flashed his skill on both ends of the floor in his first college game, scoring 13 points with three boards, four assists, and a pair of steals. James Scott led the team on the boards with nine while blocking three shots (eighth career game with 3 or more blocks), while Kezza Giffa came off the bench and added 12 points in just 15 minutes.

‘CAUSE I PROVIDE, THAT NEW NEW
After returning three starters and six letterwinners a year ago, head coach Chris Beard and staff were tasked with reloading an Ole Miss team that saw 11 letterwinners and all but one starter depart this past offseason. They delivered, bringing in a handful of top recruits in the 2025 freshman class, while adding a plethora of talent in the transfer portal. A recruiting class ranked as high as No. 14 in the nation and a transfer class ranked as high as No. 19, Ole Miss has retooled with length, athleticism, shooting ability, and much more to fuel the upward trajectory the program has seen in the past two seasons under Beard.

FAMILIAR FACES
Four members of the 2024-25 Sweet 16 team return to Oxford for another year this season, led by starting forward Malik Dia. Leading the team in rebounding (5.7 RPG) and finishing third in scoring (10.8 PPG) a year ago, Dia looks to continue to build upon his diverse game, where he can play multiple positions and score at all levels of the court. The second letterwinner to return to the 2025-26 roster is sophomore guard Eduardo Klafke, who was one of just 11 true freshmen in the SEC to play in all of their team’s games a year ago. A high-energy player with an elite IQ, Klafke led the team in three-point percentage (48.1%, 13-27) and added 16 steals and seven blocks on defense. Returning for a second year each are guards Max Smith and Zach Day. Smith joined the team as a senior a year ago but took a redshirt following a preseason injury, and looks to help the team on the court this season. Day, a freshman a year ago, took a redshirt to develop his game and earned a scholarship this past offseason.

“REBELS, ASSEMBLE!”
Eight transfers will join the Ole Miss program for the 2025-26 campaign, with previous experience at elite programs such as Butler, Kansas, Kentucky, LSU, Louisville, St. John’s, Washington, Wisconsin, and more. Each player brings a unique piece to the puzzle of building this roster, but bring a common goal of competing and winning.

Augusto Cassiá, Forward, Junior
He joins the Ole Miss program after spending two seasons at Butler, where injuries limited him to 25 total games played. Cassiá averaged 5.1 points and 3.1 rebounds in 10 games played a year ago, after seeing action in 15 games as a freshman. He has tons of basketball experience, playing for Brazil in the South American U17 Championship, a pro team in Brazil, and training at NBA Global Academy in Australia.

Corey Chest, Forward, Sophomore
After spending the past two seasons at LSU, Chest comes to Oxford to provide length and position flexibility to the frontcourt. Redshirting in his first year, he spent 2024-25 with the Tigers playing in 26 games and making 19 starts before an injury cut his season short. He averaged 6.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game.

Kezza Giffa, Guard, Senior
A playmaking guard who spent the past two seasons leading High Point on a historic run. In 2024-25, he was a first-team all-conference selection averaging 14.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game, leading High Point to 29 wins, their first-ever Big South Conference title, and first-ever NCAA Tournament bid. He averaged 16.2 points per game the year before and helped High Point win 27 games.

Hobert Grayson IV, Guard, Senior
An NCAA Division II All-American a year ago, Grayson IV averaged 21.8 points and 11.0 rebounds per game in 24-25 at Ouachita Baptist. He was also named the conference player of the year for his efforts. The year prior, he averaged 15.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game at Holmes CC, and was previously in the Magnolia State at NE Mississippi CC where he played in 24 games.

Koren Johnson, Guard, Junior
Before a promising junior season at Louisville was cut short due to injury after just two games, Johnson had been dominant at his home school Washington for two years. The 2024 Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year averaged 11.1 points and 2.7 assists off the bench for the Huskies as a sophomore, after appearing in 29 games for Washington as a freshman.

Travis Perry, Guard, Sophomore
A sharp-shooting guard who spent his freshman season at Kentucky a year ago, where he saw action in 31 games with four starts. He saw his best games come against top-ranked Alabama, with 12 points during the regular season and 11 during the SEC Tournament. Perry dad a prolific high school career at Lyon County, where he finished his time as the state of Kentucky’s all-time leader in points scored, field goals made, three-pointers made, free throws made, and steals.

James Scott, Forward, Junior
The long, six-foot ten-inch forward comes to the program from Louisville where he played in 35 games and made 31 starts a year ago. He averaged 7.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game while shooting 75.5% from the floor. His 79 dunks in 24-25 were the third-most in school history. He spent his freshman season at the College of Charleston, where he played in 35 games and averaged 5.0 points and 3.4 rebounds.

AJ Storr, Guard, Senior
With quite the impressive college career, Storr comes to Oxford after spending 2024-25 at Kansas where he was a preseason watchlist selection for the Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy. In his sophomore season, Storr was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team after averaging 16.8 points per game at Wisconsin. He was a 2023 Big East All-Freshman selection at St. John’s in his collegiate first season.

A DOUBLE XL CLASS
The bloodline of any program is their ability to add freshmen talent each year, and the Ole Miss coaching staff did just that for the 2025-26 campaign. Three true freshmen out of high school combined with international pro player Ilias Kamardine make up one of the strongest recruiting classes in program history, ranked as high as No. 14 in the nation.

Niko Bundalo, Forward, Freshman
The highest ranked recruit in school history according to 247Sports, Bundalo became the second McDonald’s All-American to be recruited to Ole Miss under Chris Beard. The consensus top-40 recruit was ranked as high as No. 30 in the nation by Rivals, and was listed as the fifth-best power forward in the class of 2025.

Tylis Jordan, Forward, Freshman
A consensus four-star recruit, Jordan earned a class ranking as high as No. 28 in the nation by Rivals. He was listed at No. 34 in the country by On3, where he was the No. 7 power forward in the class of 2025. He helped lead Wheeler to a 29-3 record his senior season.

Ilias Kamardine, Guard, Senior
Joining the program for his first year of collegiate basketball, 22-year old Ilias Kamardine spent about six years playing at the club level in France. Most recently with JDA Dijon, he averaged 8.7 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in just under 20 minutes per game. In 2023, he was named MVP at FIBA U20 Eurobasket when he helped lead France to a gold medal while averaging 14 points, 3.4 assists, and 2.6 steals per game.

Patton Pinkins, Guard, Freshman
A top-100 recruit, Pinkins was ranked as high as No. 78 nationally in the class of 2025 by Rivals, and was a four-star recruit according to 247Sports, Rivals, and ESPN. He helped Frenship win 28 games during his senior season. Pinkins is the son of current assistant coach Al Pinkins.

THE THIRD TIME IS THE CHARM
Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard has built quite the reputation as a program builder, and it’s been evident while here in Oxford. Bringing in a winning culture that led to 20 wins in year one, the build continued to rise in year two last season, guiding Ole Miss to an NCAA Tournament berth while matching their deepest run in school history, narrowly missing an Elite Eight appearance.

In his last third season, Beard helped lead Texas Tech to 31 victories and a spot in the NCAA National Championship Title game. The trajectory with Ole Miss has been similar through two seasons:

Year One: Texas Tech, 18 wins | Ole Miss: 20 wins
Year Two: Texas Tech: 27 wins, NCAA Elite Eight | Ole Miss: 24 wins, NCAA Sweet 16
Year Three: Texas Tech: 31 wins, NCAA Title Game | Ole Miss: 3-0 start

EVERYBODY’S HANDS GO UP
This year’s Ole Miss roster is comprised of experience and proven winners. Among the 10 players who have earned a letter as a collegiate athlete, they have seen 14 total 20-win seasons.

A HISTORIC SEASON
The 2024-25 campaign will be cemented as one of the most successful runs to date for Ole Miss basketball program. Highlighted by the 10th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, the team matched the school-best run in the postseason after reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2001. The team began their postseason run with a win over North Carolina in the opening round, 72-64. They carried the momentum in the round of 32, taking down three-seed Iowa State in dominating fashion, 91-78. The Rebels nearly punched their ticket to the Elite Eight, leading two-seeded Michigan State for over 30 minutes of play, before falling by three.

On the season, Ole Miss set program records for most made threes in a season, fewest turnovers per game in a season, and highest assist-to-turnover ratio in a season. They also had top-five program season marks for most wins, most points scored, field goals made, free throws made, assists, and steals.

The team took down a pair of top-five teams during the regular season for the first time in program history, picking up wins at No. 4 Alabama and vs. No 4 Tennessee.

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
The 2025-26 season marks the third iteration of the ACC/SEC Challenge, with Ole Miss returning to hosting duties in Oxford as they welcome Miami on Tuesday, December 2 at 8 p.m. Following an even seven-to-seven split in year one, last year’s SEC/ACC Challenge was dominated by the Southeastern Conference 14-2. Ole Miss has played their part in both years, picking up a 23-point win at Louisville in 2024 after defeating NC State by 20 in 2023.